Touched by God
by Pundit
Summary: Have you ever wondered what the gods thought about all this as they watched the happless, incredibly talented Hikaru as a child completely ignore the game he was destined to play?** NO ROMANCE!!! Hikaru and Akira are little kids during this fic! **
1. Prologue

Ummm... this is an experimental fanfic. I was just kinda interested in what the gods thought about the whole thing. I mean COME ON!!! Hikaru's this incredibly gifted kid who won't even touch the game. That's gotta be frustrating. Some kind of god had to be involved if a spirit had to be carted out of eternal sleep to teach him how to play the game. Right? Well I thought so at least. (obviously). Sorry if I offended anyone with my portrayal of the Hindu gods!!! *twiddles thumbs nervously* I really REALLY didn't mean anything by it!  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned "Hikaru no Go" this wouldn't be a fanfic.  
  
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SOMEWHERE IN THE HIMILAYAS, ABOVE THE CLOUDS...  
  
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A figure sat on a tiger skin, his legs crossed, with a snake draped around his neck.  
  
He was deep in intense meditation, the ash that covered his body casting a gray hue on  
  
his skin. If it were not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest a casual observer might have  
  
mistaken him for a statue. But one thing was clear:  
  
He was not human.  
  
"What do you want, Parvati?" he asked calmly without opening his eyes. A slight  
  
smile tugged at the lips of the elegant woman who stood before him. She should have  
  
known he was not so deep in meditation as to miss her presence.  
  
"You've been up here for 3487 days," she said, her melodic voice echoing softly  
  
against the rock and the clouds that surrounded the two deities. "I wanted to see you  
  
again." The ashen figure lifted his eyes to meet hers. He sighed. She was the only one in  
  
the universe who could get away with doing this without raising his ire.  
  
And she knew it too.  
  
"I'm meditating," he said flatly, trying unsuccessfully to dismiss his lover.  
  
"So I see," she replied. What else would he be doing up in the mountains by  
  
himself for 3487 days? She studied him more carefully as he lowered his eyes and began  
  
to meditate once again. Her brow furrowed as she examined her husband. Over the  
  
millennia she had learned how to read the seemingly stoic god, and the daughter of the  
  
mountains was less than pleased by what she saw as she looked at him that day.  
  
"Igo again" she said, the irritation evident in her voice. It wasn't a question. Shiva  
  
did not make a reply. "Why are you so preoccupied with that game?" she honestly  
  
wanted to know. For over two thousand years her husband had periodically trekked up to  
  
the mountains to meditate about GO of all things for years at a time. She was completely  
  
baffled by it.  
  
"I invented it, why shouldn't I be interested in its progress?" he questioned  
  
without opening his eyes.  
  
"But can mortals really play it as it should be played?" she probed, knowing full  
  
well that THAT was impossible. "Why did you even bother in the first place?"  
  
"I gave it to them as a gift, Parvati," He sighed. He had tried to explain this to her  
  
at least a million times over the centuries. "So that the worthy might know what it is to be  
  
a god and their consciousness can expand and transcend beyond that of the common  
  
man." The goddess shrugged, still baffled by her husband's naivety. Humans could not  
  
transcend so easily. They simply didn't have the capacity.  
  
"You have another pet again, don't you?" she asked knowingly. Shiva frowned  
  
slightly, which in turn caused his wife to grin. He only showed any sign of emotion on  
  
his face when he was with her, and even if it was a frown it served as a reminder that he  
  
was still hers.  
  
"You know I don't like it when you call them 'pets'," he said irritably. The  
  
goddess sighed audibly.  
  
"Another 'gifted', then" she corrected, barely containing her exasperation. He was  
  
obviously annoyed, she could at least humor him.  
  
"Yes," came the reply, and Parvati was surprised to hear the ... was it  
  
glee?......... in her lover's voice. A wave of trepidation washed over her. He had gotten his  
  
hopes up again. Over the centuries Shiva had gotten his expectations up before, only to  
  
have them dashed. She saw no reason why this time would be different  
  
"It will happen this time," he said, reading her thoughts as he refocused his  
  
attention on his meditation. "I can feel it."  
  
"That's what you said last time when that Honinbo Shusaku child was born. And  
  
look how that turned out," she reminded him. "And the time before that there was that  
  
Fujiwara no Sai person too." Shiva frowned, transforming his entire face. Parvati almost  
  
winced. She didn't like to see him like this, but it was better than him getting his hopes  
  
up all over again.  
  
"That was different," came the reply.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Honinbo was a special case," he said matter- of- factly and he frowned again as  
  
he remembered the miscalculation he had made. One of the rare mistakes he had made  
  
since he came into existence (which was a very VERY long time ago). He had sent Sai to  
  
tutor the young prodigy, hoping that one brilliant mind might help shape another. But  
  
unfortunately in light of Sai's brilliance, Shusaku had simply decided to let Sai play all of  
  
his games and hence he himself did not gain the necessary skill required to obtain the  
  
hand of God. But that wouldn't happen this time. This time Shiva had made all the  
  
preparations.  
  
Parvati's brow creased slightly. Honinbo WAS a special case, and she knew her  
  
lover wouldn't let the ghost interfere again this time... not unless he became  
  
absolutely desperate at least. "True," she replied cautiously "But Fujiwara no Sai was not  
  
a 'special case' in the slightest, was he?" she asked, a smile escaping her lips. She had  
  
him.  
  
"No he wasn't," her husband replied after a long moment. "But he suffered  
  
unforeseeable circumstances. That won't happen this time."  
  
"How do you know? They're unforeseeable." She asked. But to her surprise this  
  
question did not make her husband frown in thought at all. Instead he began to smile!  
  
"At the time they were unforeseeable," Shiva replied. "Sai did not have an equal  
  
to play against. He was forced to battle only those with inferior skills. It is only natural  
  
that one of his opponents eventually cheated... that may happen again this time  
  
too... but he became hopeless and killed himself because he did not have a rival to  
  
make living worth his while. If he had had one, he would have suffered through the  
  
shame simply to have another chance at playing him." He smiled again as he thought of  
  
the future.  
  
He had discovered the flaw in his previous planning. TWO brilliant minds were  
  
required to create the divine hand, not just one. He needed TWO humans with  
  
exceptional talent and insight in order to achieve his dream.  
  
His wife stood there, at a loss for words. This wasn't going to work. He was going  
  
to get his hopes up again and it wasn't going to work. Parvati let a sad sigh escape her  
  
lips. She had tried at least.  
  
Shiva smiled again as he thought about the two gifted humans who were about to  
  
be born on Earth. One of them was destined to be born to an Igo master. That was  
  
excellent.  
  
//But which soul should be placed with that body?// He wondered. One was aloof,  
  
soft, and refined but had a sharp, delicate mind that promised to become fierce and  
  
unforgiving when attacked on a goban. The other spirit was robust, curious, and  
  
exuberant with such an unusual mind that could see the hidden meanings within the  
  
hidden meanings on a go board.  
  
//Which would go to the Meijin?// Shiva sighed. It had to be the first one. There  
  
was no guarantee that he would even discover go, being so withdrawn and reserved in  
  
spirit. The other mind was sure to stumble across the game eventually given its curious  
  
nature. He smiled to himself, having figured out the solution to his dilemma. This would  
  
be perfect. He would send the other spirit somewhere close to the first one. That way they  
  
would encounter each other sooner rather than later. They were going to be Japanese too.  
  
That was good. He'd always had a soft spot for Japan when it came to Igo.  
  
He smiled again. This time would be different. He could feel it...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
OK! The next part will definitely have Hikaru and Akira in it. I PROMISE... (did you know they met BEFORE that day in Touya's go salon?) *wink* Hikaru's a little brat too! Anyway, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!! Flames are welcome (since I have no idea if this is that great a concept to begin with...) Thanks! 


	2. Chapter 1

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SOMEWHERE IN THE HIMALAYAS, ABOVE THE CLOUDS 1108 DAYS LATER... (3 years, one week and 6 days ^_^)  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.. ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
"What do you want Parvati?" Shiva asked without opening his eyes. She'd been  
  
standing there for quite some time now, a week at least. He was hoping that if he ignored  
  
her long enough she might go away. No such luck.  
  
"I haven't seen you in a while so I thought I might check up on you," she replied.  
  
"It's only been a few hundred days," he said in exasperation. She was beginning  
  
to get needy.  
  
"1108," she corrected softly. He sighed. He knew why she was here. She wanted  
  
to make sure he hadn't gotten his hopes up too high. "Are you still watching them?" she  
  
asked, even though she knew the answer.  
  
"Yes," the stoic god told his wife. "And they're doing quite well." A smile nearly  
  
crept onto his face. The Meijin's son, Touya Akira, had already started playing go. He  
  
was, as expected, already growing by leaps and bounds. It wouldn't be long before the  
  
toddler began crushing his less talented opponents. Touya Meijin was a good teacher.  
  
The other boy, Shindo Hikaru, lived outside Tokyo, very near the Meijin's son (or  
  
as near as he had been able to get on short notice). He had not yet discovered the game  
  
but that would change soon, and he could still catch up. It was Hikaru's birthday  
  
tomorrow and he was going to visit his grandfather's house, his GO playing grandfather's  
  
house. Shiva could not suppress his smile. Everything was falling into place...  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
THE NEXT DAY: TOKYO, JAPAN.........  
  
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Shindo Hikaru sat on the floor surrounded by boxes in brightly colored paper. He  
  
liked all the pretty ribbons and shiny wrapping paper. The young boy (who even at 3  
  
obviously had ADD) began to tear at the boxes, carefully watching to make sure the  
  
grown ups didn't see what he was doing. They might try to stop him. Grown ups were  
  
weird like that sometimes. He wasn't too terribly concerned with what was IN the boxes,  
  
he just wanted to get the paper off so he could play with it.  
  
"Not yet Hikaru!" a kind looking woman said gently as she bent down to pick him  
  
up. He had been so close too! He felt hot tears begin to rise up to his eyes. He wanted to  
  
play with the paper NOW! His lip started to quiver. Knowing he was about to cry the  
  
boy's mother quickly made an attempt to calm him. "You can play with your presents  
  
after cake."  
  
"Cake?" the little boy asked uncertainly. He liked cake but he had been promised  
  
that before but his mom had forgotten to mention the fact that he had to eat something  
  
GREEN before hand.  
  
"Mmm hmmm," she nodded, smiling.  
  
"Do I have to eat anything green?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Nope!" his mother replied brightly. She already knew cake wasn't enough to get  
  
him to eat his vegetables; she'd since resorted to hiding them in the ramen her son had  
  
suddenly started to eat.  
  
Hikaru smiled widely at this answer. He didn't like vegetables. He liked cake.  
  
This was a good arrangement.  
  
"Just sit here with your grandfather while I finish putting the icing on, alright?"  
  
she asked as she set the boy down beside the man who smelled like Vaseline and  
  
medicine. Hikaru wrinkled his nose and was about to complain but his mother had  
  
already gone into the kitchen. He shrugged and got up to walk away from the smelly old  
  
man with the shiny head.  
  
"Whoa! Not so fast little fella'" the old man cried out happily, catching the little  
  
boy by the cuff of his shirt.  
  
//Rats!// baby Hikaru thought to himself as he squirmed to get away. The old man  
  
merely laughed at his efforts, which just made Hikaru want to get away from him more.  
  
Lifting his only grandson up under his arm in one hand, he brought the boy, his legs  
  
flailing wildly, into the other room.  
  
"I want to show you something," his grandfather said, pride in his voice. "You  
  
should see the stock you come from!" He beamed as he set Hikaru down on the floor and  
  
proceeded to open a box filled with shiny trophies, certificates, two covered bowls and  
  
even another box. The toddler cocked a curious eyebrow as he bent over to study the  
  
contents. He liked shiny things. He could see another person in them who copied  
  
everything he did. It was funny. The dark haired boy smiled, his soft brown bangs falling  
  
in front of his gray eyes. He giggled as the boy in the trophy made a stupid face at him.  
  
"Hikaru, look at this" the old man said. Shindo reluctantly drew his attention  
  
away from the other boy in the shinny cup.  
  
"What's that?" he asked, looking at the wooden box with legs his grandfather  
  
pointed to.  
  
"This is a goban," the old man explained as he removed the covers from the two  
  
bowls beside them, revealing hundreds of black and white colored stones.  
  
"A goban?" the toddler repeated uncertainly.  
  
"Yes, you use it to play go"  
  
"Go?"  
  
"Yes, go!" the old man replied excitedly. "Did you know that your grandfather  
  
was the only one able to defeat Inoue-san from Kutsuwa city!" he continued proudly. The  
  
old man rambled on about his past victories over people Shindo had never heard of. The  
  
little boy peered over into the cup of stones curiously. "Go is an ancient game of the mind!  
  
It takes skill and thought and.."  
  
"BORING!!!!!!!!!" the little boy shouted as he picked up a fist full of stones and  
  
tossed them into the air. "Let's go play soccer!" the toddler exclaimed as he took the  
  
opportunity to escape the smelly old man and run into the yard.  
  
"Oh well, I guess he's just not interested in go," his grandfather said softly to  
  
himself, slightly disappointed. He had been hoping to teach his only grandchild the game.  
  
"Cake time!" the old man's daughter cried cheerfully from the kitchen.  
  
"YAY!!!! CAKE!!!" Hikaru screamed excitedly as he ran back into the house.  
  
Somehow in the course of a few unsupervised seconds the boy had managed to get mud  
  
all over his once clean yellow shirt and smeared across his face. His grandfather sighed.  
  
Maybe if his daughter had any other children he could teach THEM how to play...  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
MEANWHILE.... SOMEWHERE IN THE HIMALAYAS, ABOVE THE CLOUDS:  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
Shiva stared off into nothing, his mouth open and at a loss for words. What had  
  
just happened? He didn't even TRY to play the game! Why didn't he even TRY to  
  
play?!?!  
  
Parvati sighed. She was afraid that it might turn out like this. Actually... she  
  
had no idea THIS would happen. She just assumed both kids would WANT to play go,  
  
but she figured that somewhere along the way something would foul things up. Though  
  
she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.  
  
"Shiva..." she said softly.  
  
"It's just a set back," he replied. "The grandfather obviously didn't know how to  
  
get his attention. It's just a set back." His voice trailed away.  
  
It was going to happen this time. It HAD to!  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ok, so no Akira this time.. Next chapter definitely though! I PROMISE!!!!!!!! Please read and Review!!!!  
  
* P.S. I figured Shindo didn't have bleached bangs yet... he IS only 3 after all.* 


	3. Chapter 2

Yeah, sorry it took me so long to put this up. However, in my defense I tried to post this stupid freaking chapter for close to 3 days before ff.net would LET me. *shakes fist at the sadistic ff.net gods*  
  
Oh well. *sigh* Here it is:  
  
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SOMEWHERE IN THE HIMALAYAS, ABOVE THE CLOUDS 749 DAYS LATER... (2 years, two weeks and 5 days ^_^)  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
Shiva sat, his legs crossed, in much the same position he had been assuming for  
  
well over seven hundred days. During that time the stone-faced deity had been thinking,  
  
planning, calculating as he watched over the humans he knew would one day realize his  
  
dream. The snake around his neck stirred slightly as a smile touched the impassive god's  
  
lips.  
  
Today was the day.  
  
The smile grew wider as he allowed his thoughts to drift.  
  
It was so obvious! Why, he wondered idly, hadn't it occurred to him before? After  
  
all, it was only natural that the Meijin's son be the one to lead Hikaru down his destined  
  
path. Meeting his fated rival was sure to draw the obstinate boy into the game of go.  
  
Their souls were linked irrevocably by destiny, after all.  
  
Shiva felt a swell of excitement and he allowed a wave of relief to wash over him.  
  
For too long now he had been worried that perhaps Parvati had been right. And the fact  
  
that he was certain she had been watching day after day as Hikaru ignored the game and  
  
denied Shiva his peace of mind had only served to greaten the god's anxiety.  
  
If it were not for the elation instilled in him by the knowledge that the realization  
  
of his plan was close at hand, Shiva would have frowned as his thoughts wandered to his  
  
wife.  
  
He knew, of course, that his lover had been watching the humans' progress just as  
  
he had been. And while he also knew that she only did it out of her concern for him, it  
  
irritated the god to no end.  
  
Why was she so sure that he was wrong? Did she not trust his judgment?  
  
Shiva's eyes flickered slightly as he fought to regain control of his thoughts. She  
  
had been correct so far, he reminded himself irritably. And though he knew his wife got  
  
no pleasure from his miscalculations and errors, at times it felt as though she MUST.  
  
Why else would she always be there whenever he happened to fail?  
  
The god sighed. He knew the answer.  
  
But Parvati would not come today, he vowed as he redirected his attention back to  
  
the situation at hand. No. She would not need to. Today he would not fail. Shiva smiled  
  
in anticipation as he cast his eternal gaze onto the mortal world below.  
  
Today Shindo Hikaru would finally accept his destiny.  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
TOKYO, JAPAN ...  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
"Hi-ka-ru!" the young girl cried as she ran hastily to catch up to the friend who  
  
had left her behind. The boy turned around, scowling slightly as he stood waiting for her  
  
to reach him.  
  
"Geeze, Akari!" He said not bothering to hide the irritation in his childish voice.  
  
"You're so slow!"  
  
She cast him an apologetic smile as she came to his side. The boy frowned again.  
  
"We have to find the ball before Eikichi finds out and gets mad," he said as he  
  
started to walk on, looking from side to side as he went. Akari brushed the dark shoulder  
  
length hair that framed her small face out of her eyes.  
  
"You're the one who lost it," she reminded him, looking slightly down at him.  
  
"I think it landed somewhere around here," he said absently, choosing to ignore  
  
the comment. "I'll go to the left, you go to the right. If you find it, just shout." He said,  
  
pointing off the trail and into the trees that lined it.  
  
Akari frowned. She didn't like being in the park by herself. Even in the daytime it  
  
was scary, especially if you went off the path. That was one of the reasons why she had  
  
volunteered to help Hikaru look for the baseball in the first place. She didn't want him to  
  
leave her alone.  
  
"Let's both look together," she suggested instead, smiling hopefully.  
  
"Why?" he asked "We'll find it quicker this way." Akira looked down at her  
  
shoes, nervously tugging at her powder pink shirt.  
  
"I don't wanna go by myself," she admitted reluctantly, scratching her arm self-  
  
consciously. "It's... it's scary." The boy made a face. Sometimes Akari could be  
  
such a.... such a GIRL.  
  
"Don't be a baby," he said meanly after a moment.  
  
"I'm not being a baby!" came the indignant squeak.  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are TOO!!"  
  
"Am NOT!!"  
  
And to prove her point Akari stomped her foot, turned around and headed into the  
  
brush to her left (but not before stopping to stick her tongue out at her friend before she  
  
disappeared into the shrubs). Hikaru stuck his tongue out in return, but as there was no  
  
one there to see it, it was slightly pointless. After staring into the woods for a  
  
moment to make sure Akari had actually gone to look, the boy shrugged to himself and  
  
went off the trail to his right.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Shindo emerged from the shrubs empty handed.  
  
"Akari, did you find the ba-" the little boy began, but he shut his mouth quickly  
  
as he looked up into an empty path. Where was Akari? He looked around curiously, but  
  
his friend was nowhere to be seen. Hikaru frowned.  
  
"Akari?" he asked, hopefully. "Akari, come on out! Did you find the ball?"  
  
No reply.  
  
"Akari?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Akari, this isn't funny!!"  
  
More silence.  
  
"Uh-oh," he said to himself. This was not good. Nope. First he lost Eikichi's ball  
  
and now he'd lost Akari. And he'd told his mom he'd be careful too. He was going  
  
to be in sooooo much trouble when she found out. Hikaru swallowed.  
  
He had to find Akari, that was all. And with any luck she'd found the ball.  
  
Shindo nodded to himself. She was probably just trying to make him nervous anyway.  
  
//I'm gonna hit her so hard if she's hiding! // he thought angrily to himself as he  
  
pushed aside the bushes to follow after his friend. He walked for at least ten minutes  
  
before he came into a clearing on the other side of the park. //Where did she go?!?!//  
  
Hikaru asked himself anxiously. He was really starting to get nervous now. Suddenly  
  
he spotted a head with dark shoulder length hair hiding behind a shrub. And it was  
  
attached to a body wearing a light powder pink shirt just like Akari's. Shindo let out a  
  
sigh of relief. She HAD been hiding. An evil grin spread across the boy's face. Akari had  
  
her back turned to the bushes; she hadn't seen him yet. Slowly he crept up behind  
  
the unsuspecting girl.  
  
"Gottcha!" Hikaru shouted triumphantly as he grabbed on to the familiar shirt,  
  
tugging hard on his friend's arm as he punched her (hard). Stupid girl. She got what she  
  
deserved.  
  
"Ooowww!"  
  
The smile faded off Hikaru's lips as the person he punched turned to face him.  
  
"Why did you do that?!?!" the child yelled standing up to look at his attacker,  
  
confusion and pain mingled on his face.  
  
It wasn't Akari. It wasn't even a GIRL.  
  
"Whaa- --?" Shindo replied, shocked by this development. Before him stood a  
  
little boy, tears stinging his eyes, with dark shoulder length hair just like his friend.  
  
"Why did you do that?!?!" he asked again, more angry than hurt now.  
  
"Sorry," Shindo replied automatically. This seemed to placate the injured child  
  
and he sat down again after casting his attacker a searching yet weary look. Hikaru stared  
  
stupidly at the other boy for a long moment, trying to process this new development.  
  
After he had recovered from the initial shock, Shindo finally regained the ability to form  
  
sentences again.  
  
"You're not Akari," he accused in a voice of mild irritation, glaring at the other  
  
boy as if it were his fault.  
  
"No," the child replied, shaking his head innocently "I'm Akira." Shindo looked  
  
at the other boy carefully for a long moment before answering.  
  
"Where's Akari?" he demanded.  
  
"I don't know," the long haired child replied, looking behind his shoulder  
  
nervously. Why did this weird boy have to be so LOUD? Noticing Akira's odd behavior,  
  
the Hikaru wrinkled his brow in mild confusion.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. The long haired boy looked up at  
  
him hesitantly, studying him for a moment.  
  
"Hiding," came the reply after a brief pause.  
  
"Why?" Hikaru wanted to know.  
  
"Do you have to be so loud?" the boy in the pink shirt asked irritably, looking  
  
quickly from side to side again. The other boy frowned.  
  
"Why?" he repeated, trying his best to whisper. He wasn't quiet by nature and  
  
this was especially difficult for the five year old.  
  
The long haired boy sighed. This kid wasn't going to leave unless he told him  
  
something. Since he was never a very good liar (he could never fool his mother anyway)  
  
Akira opted for telling the truth.  
  
"Because the other boys'll make fun of me," he answered grudgingly. He  
  
realized that this child would probably do the same, but for some reason he didn't  
  
actually believe it.  
  
Shindo knit his eyebrows in confusion; he didn't understand.  
  
"Why would they make fun of you?" he asked. Akira was mildly surprised by the  
  
question. He just assumed it was obvious.  
  
"They say I look like a girl," he admitted reluctantly. The long haired boy fought  
  
the tears he felt rising to his eyes. Hikaru stood there thinking for a moment. Then he  
  
burst into a fit of high pitched giggles.  
  
"It's not funny!" Akira yelled, pounding the grass indignantly with his tiny fists.  
  
"Yeah it is!" Shindo said merrily "I thought you were a girl too!"  
  
Akira pouted. He couldn't help it, he felt betrayed.  
  
"Shut up, baka!" he shouted angrily, tears rolling down his cheeks. Angry, Hikaru  
  
opened his mouth wide to defend himself but stopped half way as he noticed his  
  
companion was crying.  
  
He shut his mouth, feeling a twinge of guilt building in his stomach. Rubbing the  
  
back of his head, Shindo bent down to look at the other boy.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said softly as he put a pudgy hand awkwardly on Akira's back,  
  
trying to console him. The other child looked up, briefly startled out of his misery. The  
  
long haired boy bit his lip trying to stop his tears. Hikaru made a pained expression. He  
  
really hadn't meant to make him cry. "Let's play together!" he said brightly, hoping to  
  
distract the other boy.  
  
Akira's sobs lessened.  
  
"Play what?" he asked hesitantly rubbing his eyes with the back of his small hand.  
  
"Anything you want!" came the reply.  
  
"Anything?"  
  
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Hikaru answered, slightly annoyed. He was being  
  
nice here.  
  
"Let's play go!" the other boy replied excitedly after a pause.  
  
"Go?"  
  
"Uh-huh!" Akira answered brightly. His mother made him come to the park so  
  
he could get away from the game and get some fresh air with children his own age.  
  
But if he was playing with a boy his age then his mother couldn't complain, right?  
  
"Ogata-san has a board!" he went on happily.  
  
"Who?" Shindo asked, still in shock by the words that had come out of the  
  
long haired boy's mouth.  
  
"Ogata-san! He brought me here today!" Akira explained casually, missing his  
  
companion's confused yet horrified expression.  
  
"I don't wanna play go!" Hikaru shouted forcefully as he recovered his wits.  
  
"Why not?" the other boy asked, genuinely puzzled. Shindo felt his jaw drop.  
  
Wasn't that OBVIOUS?!?!  
  
"Go is for old people!" he answered as if that explained everything.  
  
"But it's fun," the long haired boy replied innocently.  
  
"It's boring!" came the vehement reply. Akira couldn't believe what he was  
  
hearing.  
  
"Have you ever played?" he asked.  
  
"I don't need to!" the other boy shot back. "Only old people play go!"  
  
"I like go!" Akira shouted defensively.  
  
"Ok, only old people and girls play go!" Hikaru replied harshly.  
  
Oops.  
  
// I should NOT have said that // he thought to himself as he smacked a  
  
pudgy hand against his forehead. But he was relieved to see that Akira wasn't crying  
  
again. Nope. Instead he had his tiny hands balled up into fists and he was glaring at  
  
Hikaru hatefully.  
  
"How can you say that if you've never even played, BAKA?!?!" the long haired  
  
boy yelled angrily. Shindo felt the blood rush to his face.  
  
"BAKA???!!!" he asked loudly, flabbergasted by his anger.  
  
"Baka!" Akira confirmed, eyeing the other boy defiantly. Both boys were now  
  
standing up glaring at each other, their heads only inches apart.  
  
"Fine!" Hikaru shouted, backing away first. "I'm leaving, you stupid girl!" he  
  
cried harshly. He didn't care if he was mean. The other boy had really made him mad.  
  
"Fine!" Akira shouted in return, spinning around on his heals to face the other  
  
direction. Hikaru stuck out his tongue, once again at someone who couldn't see him.  
  
Stomping angrily he went back the way he came. He was surprised, however, to see  
  
Akari running towards him across the clearing.  
  
Shindo felt a pang of guilt. He had forgotten all about Akari.  
  
"Hi-ka-ru!" she screamed happily as she reached his side, the relief clear on her  
  
face.  
  
"Hi, Akari" he said in a childish voice.  
  
"Where have you been?" she asked irritably, "I've been looking all over for you!"  
  
"I was looking for YOU, baka!" he said indignantly. The girl gave him a look of  
  
disbelief and Hikaru felt his cheeks begin to flush. He'd never been a good a liar.  
  
"Mostly," he corrected, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.  
  
"Here," the girl said, choosing to ignore the earlier insult as she extended her arm  
  
to reveal a slightly dirty baseball. "I found it!" she declared proudly. Hikaru's face lit up  
  
into a bright smile.  
  
"Great!" he beamed happily, snatching the ball from his friend's hand. "Let's put  
  
this before Eikichi finds out I took it!"  
  
"You mean you didn't ASK if you could borrow it?!?" Akari nearly shouted in  
  
surprise.  
  
"Geeze, Akari! You don't have to be so loud about it!" came the even noisier  
  
reply. Akari rolled her eyes, unable or unwilling to believe just how stupid Hikaru could  
  
BE sometimes. He was such a... such a BOY!  
  
"Alright," she agreed in exasperation. "Let's go."  
  
Hikaru smiled happily as he ran off towards his house.  
  
"Hi-ka-ru!" Akari cried as she ran hastily to catch up to the friend who had left  
  
her behind. Again. The boy turned around, scowling slightly as he stood waiting for her  
  
to reach him.  
  
"Geeze, Akari!" He said not bothering to hide the irritation in his childish voice.  
  
"You're so slow!"  
  
She cast him an apologetic smile as she reached him. And they walked  
  
together side by side as they left the park.  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
SOMEWHERE IN THE HIMALAYAS, ABOVE THE CLOUDS LATER THAT DAY...  
  
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
Parvati eyed her lover anxiously and sighed. It had been over a seven hundred  
  
days since she had left him to meditate on his mountain top in solitude. The daughter of  
  
the mountains had sworn to herself then that she would not disturb her husband again, not  
  
until the issue with his pets had resolved itself at least. He was becoming irritable with  
  
her intrusions and even she didn't want to make him angry. Shiva was ...  
  
unpleasant when he was angry. But she had kept an eye on his pets nonetheless. Not that  
  
Parvati actually cared one way or another about Igo. She knew that a simple mortal could  
  
never obtain the hand of God. But it pained her to see Shiva suffer so. And despite his  
  
stoic mask she knew that he was suffering. For as long as she had watched him, observed  
  
him, loved him how could she NOT know? For some unknown reason her lover seemed  
  
to care a great deal about the progress of these children and she knew it pained him to see  
  
such potential wasted. So for his sake she had watched his humans, his 'gifted' ones. And  
  
she hoped against hope that maybe she was wrong, that perhaps a human COULD find  
  
the hand of God. For Shiva's sake at least.  
  
She sighed again. Today must have been a harsh blow for him, she knew. He  
  
had put a great deal of effort into orchestrating the day's events only to have them come  
  
to no avail. She silently cursed the humans who had caused her lover so much distress.  
  
She was sure that after these earlier events he would be in need of some company, though  
  
he would pretend to resent it no doubt.  
  
"I should have known you would come," the impassive god said without opening  
  
his eyes, startling her out of her reverie. He didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice.  
  
"Yes," she replied flatly "You should have," and she couldn't help but smile  
  
slightly at the creasing of her husband's brow as he silently acknowledged her point. He  
  
had known she would come. Of course she would. He needed her by his side now. How  
  
could she do anything else but go to him?  
  
"You've been watching them too," he said after a moment. Parvati didn't make a  
  
response. None was required. It hadn't been a question. "You saw what happened  
  
today," he continued, looking up to meet her eyes for the first time since she had  
  
appeared before him. She felt her chest tighten as she stared into the brown pools; he  
  
seemed so disappointed. Briefly she felt the urge to embrace him, to beg him to forget  
  
those stupid humans and come with her. But she pushed the thought aside. Her impulse  
  
was more the product of her longing to be with him than any desire to help solve his  
  
problem. And besides, Shiva would refuse her anyway.  
  
"Yes, I did" she confirmed after a moment, more to fill the silence that had  
  
followed her husband's statement than anything else. He looked at her again, straining to  
  
keep his composure but she knew that he was struggling. She knew him far too well for  
  
him to be able to hide his emotions with any real success.  
  
"Perhaps he needs more time to mature," she said as she looked into his eyes.  
  
"Give him a few years more. And if he still doesn't play, you always have the other one,  
  
don't you?"  
  
"But there must be two," her husband answered, his voice so calm and  
  
emotionless that it was impossible for anyone to detect the frustration there. Impossible  
  
for anyone except Parvati, of course.  
  
"But either way the first one will advance the game," she countered. And  
  
she gave a soft sigh of relief as she saw her husband's eyes soften, knowing that her  
  
words had provided him with at least some small amount of comfort. "Wait a few years  
  
more," she said again, bending down to look at him.  
  
"A few years more," he agreed.  
  
The goddess smiled wanly as she noticed Shiva's pale complexion despite the ash  
  
that covered his skin. She frowned inwardly as she made a vow to herself. If Shindo  
  
Hikaru made her lover worry much longer Parvati would personally see to it that the boy  
  
was reincarnated as a dung beetle.  
  
"Just a few more," she said and casting one last worried look at her husband  
  
she left him alone on his mountain top to meditate in peace.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
I'd just like to make a few statements:  
  
*Ahem*  
  
1) I realize that simply because a religion is founded primarily in Asia that it doesn't necessarily have any connection to Igo (as far as I know Go has no religious affiliation, but I'm pretty ignorant about this so I might be wrong.) Anyway I'm a fairly lazy individual who will shamelessly exploit / manipulate mythological entities if it suits my purposes (exhibit A *points to story*). Shiva and Parvati worked with my idea... so I used them. I might have used Zeus and Herra (sp?) if I thought I could pull it off.  
  
2) Touya, Hikaru, Sai, and Honinbo are all (I think) Japanese so I thought maybe Shiva would have a soft spot for Japan. It's fiction. Don't blame me. Blame Hotta Yumi. ^_^.  
  
3) This fic is just for fun, and like I said: it's an experiment. I wanted to try something kind of weird so I wrote this. *scratches head* I'm not sure how it turned out over all but at least I'm not too embarrassed to post it, neh? Thanks for reading! Again, if I made any glaring errors, just tell me and I'll try to fix it. If you have any questions, ask and I'll try to answer them (as long as I understand what the question is... I have problems with that sometimes). Ok! That's it! Thanks!  
  
^_^ 


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